Newsletter Term 1, Week 6

Term 1, Week 6 – Friday 12 March 2021

Principal’s Chat

Kia ora everyone

Well we are certainly gaining some resilience and working together through the level changes. We even had an off-shore earthquake mixed in with the last lockdown. Please know that I have spoken with Civil Defence and due to the layout of the surrounding land, our school is not in a tsunami zone.
The great news is that this afternoon Auckland returns to Alert Level One, so we can welcome our community back in to our school.
If coming on to the school site, please still remember to scan the school code. If a child or a parent is unwell with any cold or flu symptoms they cannot come in to the school grounds but should contact their doctor or health line (free calling on 0800 358 5453) and follow their advice. These measures will help to keep our community safe.

As New Zealand has begun the Covid vaccination programme, there is an increase of conflicting advice via the media. Some of which looks official, but is not. To help you navigate this information, further on in this newsletter is notice from the Ministry of Education, with links to reputable sites you can visit to read more about the virus and the vaccination programme.

The start to school this year has certainly been disrupted by the lockdowns. I have noticed that a number of parents seem to be asking about things that have either been in an email, on Seesaw or in the newsletter already. Or are taking a long time to respond to requests (there were so many late swimming entires the heats needed to be redone a few times). We do appreciate that everyone’s lives are busy. Can I please ask that parents do read the school correspondence carefully – and look through the full newsletter each fortnight. That would really help our organisation at school. Thank you.

On 26 February we had our community working bee to move our mulch pile around the Ngahere Ako (learning forest) bush by the pathway to the field. We had a small turn out from our community, but were very grateful for their assistance and their company. Please see the photos in this newsletter.

Within this newsletter are also some examples of the Rainy Day writing from our earlier lockdown.

Today is our Year 4 to 6 swimming sports regatta at Northern Arena, and I have been lucky enough to join them for the morning. Big congratulations to all of the students for their participation, and thank you to our teachers and helpers for making the day possible. A special thanks to Nikki Douglas for the many hours it takes to organise, including placing students into race heats.

Thank you again everyone for your support.
Have a lovely, safe fortnight

Linda
Linda Barton
Principal

School App and Website

2021 Upcoming Events

2021 Term Dates

Welcome New Students

A warm welcome to the new students who have started at Long Bay Primary this year:

Matthew, Sarah, Ashley, Rowan and Michelle

Important School Reminders

Absence from School

If your child is going to be absent from school, please email admin@longbayprimary.ac.nz or call 09 473 6077, option 2 and advise the Office to avoid your child being marked as truant.

If your child arrives late to school, they MUST call at the Office window for a late pass. This is so we know they are safe.

If you are collecting your child early from school, all parents/caregives need to sign them out at the Office. Children are not allowed to leave school grounds early unless they are signed out. Where possible, please do not arrange to collect a child during break times, as it is extremely difficult to locate them. Morning tea is 11.15am to 11.45am and lunch is 1.15pm and 2.00pm.

School Adventure Playground

Please remember that the playground is out of bounds for all students before school.  Children who are accompanied by their parent may play on the playground after school and on the weekends. Children cannot stay and play on the playground after school unless their parent is with them.

Before and After School Care – Kelly Club

Kelly Club is available at Long Bay Primary from 7.00am until 6.00pm in the afternoon.  Please contact Kelly Club on 027 363 3329 or at longbay@kellyclub.co.nz if you have any enquiries or wish to make a booking.  Kelly Club will be using the hall and Room 4 for Before and After School Care this year.

Sports Buzz, Week 6

School Swimming Sports

Rainy Day Poems

Working Bee Photos

Thank you to the families and children who assisted at the recent school working bee. Your help is much appreciated!

Oneroa Kahui Ako

Our school belongs to the Oneroa Kāhui Ako/Community of Learning which consists of Glamorgan, Oteha Valley, Torbay, Sherwood, Long Bay Primary and Northcross Intermediate Schools and Long Bay College. Early learning services are also able to join a Kāhui Ako. After initial consultation last year, we are now welcoming local early learning services whose tamariki transition into our schools to join the Kahui Ako they wish to.
If you have any questions about this collaboration, please contact the co-principals of the Oneroa Kāhui Ako: Janet Pinchen (Glamorgan) and Rose Neal (Oteha Valley School).

PTA News

Message from the Ministry of Education regarding the Covid 19 Vaccination Programme

As you will be aware, COVID-19 vaccinations have begun for border and managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) workers and their households, as part of the Government’s sequenced vaccination plan.
 
While more than 9000 of our most at-risk border and frontline workers have received their first dose of the vaccine, the programme is still in its infancy and vaccines will become available in stages. Therefore, the large majority of New Zealanders won’t be able to be vaccinated until the second half of this year.
 
The next group offered the opportunity to be vaccinated will be 50,000 family and household contacts of the border workforces in our main centres and after that, non-border frontline health workers.
 
Further information regarding the vaccination plan can be found on the Ministry of Health website.
 
Scams and misinformation
With the Government’s vaccine programme now underway, it’s important that New Zealanders receive accurate information from credible sources.
 
Unfortunately, both misinformation and disinformation are being spread and CERT NZ is working closely with other government agencies to try to stop these scams in their tracks.   
 
Key things everyone should know are:   

• The vaccine is free and at no point will you ever be asked to pay for securing your place in the “queue”   
• Any communications about the vaccine will come from the Ministry of Health or other trusted sources    
• If you receive any emails out of the blue asking for financial and personal details, it is likely to be a scam   
• The best way you can help stop these scams affecting New Zealanders is to report them to CERT NZ.

  The best sources for information for New Zealanders are:

  • The Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC)
  • Ministry of Health
  • World Health Organization (WHO)

  The Prime Minister’s Chief Science Adviser has also brought together a list of annotated links to trusted information about COVID-19 vaccines.

Community Local Events and Sports